Representing Sex Workers: The Experiences of Shae, Ros and Daisy in Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

Writing in the New Statesman, Alison Phipps (New Statesman, 24 November 2014) advocates that feminism needs sex workers if we are to make women’s lives better, pointing out that the commodification of sex and desire provides a unique insight into gender power relations, exploitation and cultural misogyny. These problematic real-life issues also manifest in cultural texts that incorporate sex work as paid labour, including HBO’s Game of Thrones (2011–2019), which has been heavily criticised for its sexual abuse and violence towards women (Ferreday, Australian Feminist Studies 39: 21–36, 2015; Needham, Femspec 17: 3–19, 2017). Despite the pervasiveness of transactional sex and sexploitation in the television show, there are only three named sex workers—Ros (Esme Bianco), Daisy (Maisie Dee) and Shae (Sibel Kekilli). Each has a different role and approach to sex work, but they all facilitate the exploration of precarity and provide an insight into the intersection of sex work, exploitation and the wider political climate. In this chapter, I explore the representations of Shae, Ros and Daisy, utilising a close textual reading of key scenes in conjunction with Phipps’ inclusive feminist framework to highlight the problems associated with treating sex workers as a homogenous group who are undeserving of feminist attention.